Page 24 of Made For Ruin

“I know enough,” I growl. “I know you’re smart and stubborn and too damn selfless for your own good. I know you’re the kind of woman who would sell herself short just to protect someone else. And I know you’ve been carrying this weight alone for too long.”

Her breath hitches, and she looks away, her cheeks flushing.

“You don’t understand. You don’t?—”

“Let me,” I interrupt, my hand cupping her chin, forcing her to look at me again. “Whatever it is. Let me carry it for you. Let me take care of you.”

For a moment, she just stares at me, her blue eyes searching mine like she’s trying to find some hidden motive, some reason not to trust me. But then her lips part again, and this time, there’s no hesitation.

“Okay,” she breathes.

My hands slide into her hair, tilting her face up to mine.

“Now tell me the truth. Are you and Axel still together?”

I hate the way the question sounds, but I have to know. My chest tightens as I wait for her answer.

“No,” she whispers. “He and I were never serious. We dated for a few months. But then he cheated on me, and we broke up. We both realized that we’re better off as friends.”

“Good,” I growl. “Because I’m not sharing.”

I crash my mouth down on hers, claiming her in a kiss that’s been building for months—years, even.

She gasps against my lips, but then she kisses me back with a hunger that matches my own.

My hands slide down her back, gripping her hips and lifting her off the ground without breaking the kiss. She wraps her legs around my waist instinctively, and I carry her to the wall, pinning her there with my body as my tongue slides against hers.

She tastes like everything I’ve been craving—sweet and warm and so damn intoxicating that I can’t think straight. My hands roam over her curves, memorizing every inch of her as if I need to prove to myself that she’s real, that this is real.

“But what about Axel?” she gasps again when I finally pull back to let her breathe. Her chest heaves against mine, and her eyes are dark with desire. “This is wrong. We shouldn’t...”

“Shouldn’t what?” I growl, nipping at her bottom lip. “You think I give a damn about rules or what anyone else thinks? You think I care about anything but you right now?”

She shivers in my arms.

“Let me take care of you, sweetheart,” I tell her. “Please.”

Her eyes search mine for a moment longer before she nods slowly, a small whimper escaping her lips as I kiss her again. This time, there’s no resistance in her touch, no hesitation in the way she clings to me.

For the first time in years, I feel something inside me crack open—something raw and unfiltered that I’ve kept locked away for too long.

And tonight, I’m claiming my prize.

SEVEN

LAINEY

Marcus’s handis warm and firm around mine as he leads me into his bedroom.

His room is exactly what I expected and yet not at all.

The walls are rough wood, and there’s a massive bed in the center covered in a dark blue quilt. A simple dresser sits against one wall, a pair of boots kicked off haphazardly beside it. It’s all so... him. Rugged, practical, no frills. But there’s also a warmth to it, something that makes me feel like I could belong here, even if just for tonight.

“You okay?” Marcus asks.

His voice is low and gravelly, and it does things to me—things I’m still getting used to.

He’s standing close, so close I can feel the heat radiating off him, smell the faint scent of pine and leather that clings to his skin. It’s intoxicating, and I nod quickly, maybe too quickly, because his lips curve just the slightest bit.

---